Will You Trade?
by raisenbread
Summary: "Levi, this exchange cannot be undone, will you go through with it?"


"Eren..Eren!" Rivialle ran over to where the boy was lying, dropping to his knees to pick him up. "Wake up! Please!" Eren was bloody and steaming in the Corporal's arms, head hanging limply, eyes half way closed. "Eren.." Rivialle squeezed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth as he held onto the lifeless body in his hands. Eren's blood soaked into the ground beneath them, creating a rather unholy sort of halo. "You've gotta come back...you've gotta.."

When Rivialle realized that Eren was gone, for good this time, he felt his eyes begin to burn. At first he thought it was the dust, the dust from the fighting, the dust from his 3D Maneuver gear, maybe even the steam from the titan corpses lying about the field. But it wasn't any of those things.

It had been so long ago that Levi had shed tears for another being that the tears streaking down his cheeks at the moment were more than foreign to him. He was lost, truly and completely lost without having a single clue about how he should take things from this point onward. The loss of his squad had kept him awake at night, yet the fact that the brat had survived made his nights a little easier. But now that easiness was taken from him, that one source that had been left was ripped from his hands. So he sat there with the bloody soldier in his arms, cradling the body as silent tears ran down his face. He didn't care that his shirt was getting bloody, didn't care about the fact that he would have stains on his pants that he probably wouldn't be able to get out. He just wanted Eren back. It was true the kid didn't know when to stop at times, but he also knew how to make the Corporal feel a little better when he was at his worst. It was odd how Eren always knew when he was having a bad day.

Once the thoughts about Eren began, they didn't stop. His eyes, once full of light, eager to learn new material, now half-lidded and dull stared up at him. His smile that always seemed to catch Levi off guard somehow, even after all this time. His voice, always asking him questions and calling his name, would never be heard again. That brought the tears back, and for the first time, he just wished it would stop. That everything would stop, it was so unlike him to cry because of someone's death.

Rivialle sat there for a long time, on the edge of the field, a lifeless boy in his arms, thinking about what he could do. In the end he chose to make the deal.

One precious memory for one precious life. "I'll trade." Levi whispered, head bowed, his eyes looking longingly at Eren's. "I'll trade it for him! So come out and do it!" His head snapped up, gray eyes looking around the empty field. "I said I'd trade..." Nothing happened. _"Of course nothing happened, it's nothing but a bunch of bullshit." _He had just tossed the hope away when he heard someone speaking to him.

_"And what precious memory are you willing to trade Corporal?"_

When he looked up his eyes widened, mouth hanging open. "Petra..." She gave him a smile.

_"Yes, but it's not just me, look around you Corporal, the others are here too." _She turned her head, smiling at the other members of the Special Operations Squad. "Auruo...Eld...Gunther...you're all here..."

_"Nice to see you again Corporal." _They all smiled, saluting their superior. They looked so happy. So at peace.

_"So, Corporal, do you still wish to trade?" _It was Petra who was speaking to him, a light smile playing her lips. Despite her easy smile her eyes seemed a little sad. It took a while for Levi to comprehend all this. To understand that this was real. But he made up his mind and told Petra,

"Yes. I will."

Nothing physical changed in the moment he declared his decision, but the air around him felt heavier, the expressions of his squad, though they did not falter in their smiles, seemed _different. _Their fists tighter, backs straighter, eyes harder.

_"Very well..but you must understand that this is not something one can undo. Are you still willing?"_

Levi looked at the faces of his squad, most likely for the last time for he would not remember them afterwards. It _was _his most precious memory after all. He gently laid Eren on the ground and got up, walking over to Auruo and putting his hand on the soldiers shoulder.

"Auruo, thank you for being on my squad, you are an unreplaceable man. Thank you." Auruo in response nodded stiffly. Leaving Rivialle to move on to the next person.

"Eld, thank you, you have done so much for me and for humanity in the past. You as well are unreplaceable."

_"Thank you, sir."_ The man's eyes softened at the Corporal's praise, and with that Levi moved on to Gunther.

"Gunther, I thank you too for helping humanity fight off the titans. You are unreplaceable, please be at peace with where you are."

_"Corporal..."_

Last but not least he went over to Petra.

"Petra.." He faltered, tears becoming unbearable. Rivialle grit his teeth and proceeded anyway. "Petra, thank you for your strength and power to the team. You truly completed this testosterone filled squad."

Petra offered a sad smile. Levi now turned to the squad as a whole, saluted and bowed, right hand in a fist resting over his heart. "To my squad, I thank you for what you have done for me and for humanity, may you be remembered in the hearts of many. Once again, I thank you."

_"Corporal, are you ready?"_

"I am. Goodbye."

_"Goodbye, Lance Corporal Levi."_

Levi lifted his hand to his cheek to wipe away the rain drop that had landed on his face, but when he looked up at the sky it was clear and blue. No chance for rain. He looked down at his hand confused. It couldn't be tears, he never cried. Also, where the fuck was Eren, he was supposed to meet him there to fight off the titans that were being lead towards them.

"Heichou!"

"Took you long enough, damn brat."

"Sorry, I helped out the other squad on my way since they didn't look so good."

"Duty first Eren, if the titans got here before you the whole plan would have went to hell."

"Sorry Corporal..I'll remember that from now on."

"Good. Now get ready, here they come."

* * *

**A/N - Was it sad? I really wanted to write a sad one. Hopefully it worked. Thanks for reading my works guys! It means a lot to me :)**


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